Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 26 July 1999

Scottish Executive

Housing

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide an estimate of the number of residential properties held under long leasehold tenure in Scotland, and whether it intends to introduce interim law reforms to provide security of tenure to tenants under such leases where those leases are close to expiry.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer Mr Ewing to the reply I gave on 19 July to question S1W-275. We have no plans for interim measures.

  To provide an estimate of the number of residential properties held under long leasehold tenure in Scotland would require considerable research in the Register of Sasines and the Land Register. We do not think this necessary at present, as any review by the Commission will concern the same principles, no matter how many properties are affected.

Housing

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the system of house purchase and sale in Scotland and, if so, in what respects and with what objectives.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The housing Green Paper noted that the Scottish system of house purchase has a number of strengths, but recognised concerns that the system can lead to multiple surveys and valuations being commissioned on the same property with considerable abortive costs for unsuccessful bidders. We are currently considering the responses to the Green Paper before making decisions on the way forward.

Justice

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any regular analysis of crime figures in Scotland in order to identify trends in drug related crime and, if so, whether it will provide details of such analysis.

Angus MacKay: Quarterly returns of information relating to the number of all crimes and offences recorded and cleared up are made by police forces to the Scottish Executive Justice Department. A summary of the data collected is published annually in the statistical bulletin Recorded Crime In Scotland . The most recent bulletin in this series, published in March 1999, provided figures for years up to 1998. Table F in the bulletin, which is reproduced here, provides a breakdown of those crimes recorded which are specifically drugs related. Information on other types of crime where drugs were a factor, for example housebreaking or theft to finance a drug habit, is not identifiable in the recorded crime statistics collected centrally.

  Drugs related crimes recorded by the police, Scotland, 1989-1998

  Number & Percentage

  



1989 
  


1990 
  


1991 
  


1992 
  


1993 
  


1994 
  


1995 
  


1996 
  


1997 
  


1998 
  


% change
















97-98




Illegal importation of drugs 
  

17 
  

9 
  

3 
  

5 
  

4 
  

13 
  

13 
  

35 
  

27 
  

30 
  

11




Illegal cultivation of drugs 
  

74 
  

47 
  

40 
  

177 
  

286 
  

280 
  

301 
  

284 
  

238 
  

170 
  

-29




Possession of drugs with intent 
  to supply 
  

2,037 
  

2,741 
  

3,301 
  

3,914 
  

4,943 
  

5,625 
  

7,660 
  

6,638 
  

7,915 
  

8,290 
  

5





1989


1990


1991


1992


1993


1994


1995


1996


1997


1998


% change







 







97-98




Possession of drugs 
  

4,654 
  

6,513 
  

8,412 
  

9,226 
  

12,430 
  

13,146 
  

16,527 
  

16,739 
  

20,929 
  

22,58 
  

8




Drugs, money laundering related 
  offences1


- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

-




Drugs, other offences 
  

242 
  

254 
  

225 
  

246 
  

323 
  

217 
  

271 
  

296 
  

277 
  

382 
  

38




Total


7,024


9,564


11,981


13,568


17,986


19,281


24,773


23,992


29,386


31,460


7




  1. Introduced with effect from 1 January 1995.

  A pilot research study is being carried out by Glasgow University in conjunction with Strathclyde police and Fife Constabulary to establish if there is objective evidence of a link between drugs misuse and crime. It is expected that this research will be completed by the end of the year.

Parliamentary Questions

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the average cost incurred in processing and answering MSPs’ written questions.

Mr Jack McConnell: We are conducting an analysis of a random sample of questions from MSPs with a view to establishing an average cost figure.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Constituency Offices

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what action the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body plans to take in order to ensure that MSPs’ constituency offices have adequate access for disabled people and facilities for those with a sensory impairment.

Sir David Steel: The Members’ Allowance Scheme provides that constituency offices should be suitable for public access. This includes disabled people and those with sensory impairment. Accordingly, the SPCB would expect individual members to take account of the needs of these groups when securing constituency or regional office premises.

Disabled Access

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what action has been taken to improve facilities for disabled people within all buildings in the parliamentary complex.

Sir David Steel: Alterations additional to the requirements of the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990 were made during the refurbishment of the City of Edinburgh Council buildings and the Church of Scotland Assembly Hall to form the Scottish Parliaments interim accommodation. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has at present no plans to make further improvements. Suggestions will be considered with due regard to budgetary constraints and the temporary nature of the accommodation.

  Improvements carried out to PHQ include

  widening the wheelchair access ramp at the front entrance to PHQ and lengthening the hand rail beside it

  Upgrading the lifts to include tactile control buttons and a voice system.

  Improvements carried out to the Assembly Hall include

  providing access to, and accommodation in, the Debating Chamber for MSPs using wheelchairs

  providing wheelchair access to the public gallery with suitable space and positioning within it

  All desks within the Debating Chamber incorporate general sound enhancement that would assist the hard of hearing, and some outlets have been provided to allow the addition of specialist systems, for those with more profound disabilities.

  Upgrading of the Hall’s lift to include tactile control buttons and a voice system

  Installing up to date infra red audio assistance equipment in the Press and Public Galleries to assist the hard of hearing

  Upgrading of the directional and safety signage throughout

Holyrood

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Presiding Officer what account has been taken in decisions about the location of the Scottish Parliament building of the report from Halcrow Fox which stated that the Calton Hill site was better than the Holyrood site for urban setting, ease of access and public transport.

Sir David Steel: The feasibility studies for the 4 ‘short- listed’ Edinburgh sites were the key documents considered before the decision was made by the then Secretary of State to locate the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood. All of the relevant factors covered in the Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick Comparative Transport and Environmental Assessment were carefully considered when that report was published. The then Secretary of State made clear that on the basis of all the information available to him, Holyrood represented the best option.